


This Beat is Chemical (This Moment is Medical)

by Rai_Knightshade



Series: The Bradyverse [11]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Burns, Cairo Day 2020, Cairo Week 2020, Chemicals, Family Feels, Injury, Kid Fic, M/M, Minor Injuries, Parental Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), Parenthood, Science Experiments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23677069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade
Summary: The one in which Mac accidentally gets hurt and his family is Very Worried About Him™. And then he gets some surprise cuddles from an unexpected source!
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: The Bradyverse [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561579
Comments: 19
Kudos: 47





	This Beat is Chemical (This Moment is Medical)

**Author's Note:**

> This is Cairo Week fic 2 of 2! Mac gets hurt, but don't worry, his family's there to take care of him!

"Alright kids, are we ready?" Mac asked, placing his safety goggles over his eyes.

Brady nodded enthusiastically, goggles already in place. "Yeah! I've got the yeast!"

"And I've got the peroxide and soap!" Arista chimed in.

Mac nodded resolutely. "I think we're ready to go then! Rissy, put the tube here on the table in front of me, please." Arista did as she was asked. "Now, you step back while me and Brady add the yeast very carefully." Brady came over next to Mac, his vial of yeast and water held steady in his hand. Mac surrounded it with his larger hands and lifted them up to the test tube. "Alright Brady, very slowly now...." 

The two blondes gently tipped the mixture into the bigger tube, and immediately stepped back. Within seconds the chemical reaction had spilled foam over the top, covering the table in the stuff. Both children cheered and clapped their hands happily, while Mac watched with a proud smile.

"And that's how you make elephant toothpaste!"

"So cool!" Arista cried. "Next time I wanna pour the yeast in, Daddy!"

Mac nodded indulgently. "Of course, it's only fair that you guys get to take turns."

"What do we do with it now, though?" Brady questioned. "Does it have a use, or do we just throw it away?"

"We can actually just wash it down our lab sink, cause the foam is just a mix of oxygen, soap and food coloring; it won't damage the pipes or anything." Mac picked up the tray with the tube and foam on it and moved them into the sink, letting Arista start running the water. "See? It dissolves into the water." The kids oooed at the sight. "Now, it's getting late and it's almost time for dinner, so I think that's about it for science experiments today."

The kids groaned theatrically. "Awwwww!" Cried Arista, "Are you sure, Daddy?"

"Do we  _ have _ to???" Brady added sadly.

But Mac held firm. "Yes, we have to; Papa should be getting the table set for us, so let's clean our hands and put our science gear away. We can do more experiments next weekend; maybe I'll show you how to make an electromagnetic coil that spins on its own!" That prompted cheers from both children, who rushed to put away their lab coats and glasses.

Mac joined them, hanging his lab coat on the rack next to his childrens'. He turned to see both kids finishing up, running for the door to the lab. "Hey, slow down guys! It's dangerous to run in a lab!" The kids heeded his warning and slowed down, but as Brady turned to say something, he accidentally bumped one of the lab counters.

It had a bottle of hydrochloric acid on it.

The next few moments seemed to slow down for Mac as he ran forward himself to push Brady forward and out of harm's way. The bottle rattled on the table until it ultimately fell over just as Mac reached Brady and pushed him forward into Arista, frantically shouting for both children to "wATCH OUT!". It hit the side of the table, shattering half the bottle and spraying acid and glass across Mac's right forearm and hand.

Abruptly, time seemed to speed up again and the next thing that Mac was aware of (besides the burning pain in his arm) was the sound of Arista and Brady crying out in panic. Immediately biting back a sound of pain, Mac looked up at his kids and started barking out firm orders.

"Arista,  _ go get Papa _ ."

"Yes Daddy!" Arista scrambled out the door, already calling for her other parent.

"Brayden, I need you to help me get the chemical shower started. Step around the glass and acid, and don't worry about cleaning it up right now; me and Papa will handle that. Did you get any of the acid on you?" As he spoke Mac limped painfully over to the nearby shower, glass tinkling as it fell from his body.

"Got it Daddy! The shower's on for you," Brady replied nervously, bouncing in place where he stood. "And no, Daddy, none of the acid got on me."

Mac sighed in relief as the water started washing the acid away and soothing the burn. "That's good, at least you're safe." He sat under the shower for a few moments, letting the water neutralize the burn while he thought through the next few hours, but when he heard a small sniffle he turned to look at Brady with concern. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Brady's words were choked with tears but still understandable. "I'm sorry Daddy, this is all my fault!"

Mac was confused. "Brayden," he said gently, "what are you talking about? This isn't your fault."

"Yes it is!" Tears poured down the child's face as he cried. "If I hadn't been running and bumped the table, the acid wouldn't have tipped over and broken, and you wouldn't have gotten burned!"

Mac frowned, beckoning his eldest to his side. When Brady obliged, he put his non-burnt arm around him and pulled his son into his side tightly. "Hey, Brady-baby, listen to me," he said comfortingly. "What you just said might be true, but that doesn't mean you should beat yourself up over it. Who's fault it is and placing blame... Doesn't really do anything except hurt people. What matters more is that we accept the consequences of our actions, whether they're good or bad, intentional or accidental. And you already did that; you stopped running when I told you to, you helped me get the shower turned on so the burn could immediately be treated, and you told me the truth when I asked if you were hurt. As far as I'm concerned, you've done everything you can to help me, and I'm proud of you for that." Here he paused for a breath, giving Brady a wry smile. "Besides, it's kind of my fault too for leaving the acid out on the table; anyone could have bumped it, running or not. But in the end it doesn't matter; we've accepted the consequences anyways and taken steps to minimize the bad, and that's what really matters."

Brady nodded quietly. "Ok Daddy."

* * *

Jack Dalton-Macgyver was quietly brushing the coat of one of his best mares, happy to listen to the sounds of nature around him.... And the chatter of the toddler by his side. It seemed Eliza had inherited his ability to ramble on seemingly forever about anything that caught her fancy. Currently? It was the butterflies that floated on the spring breeze around the pasture.

"Papa!! PAPA!!!!" The sudden cry broke through the quiet, startling the horse and Jack himself in turn. He looked to see Arista running as fast as her legs could carry her up to the fence.

"Rissy?" He called, concerned, and picked up Eliza to jog towards the fence. "What's wrong sweetheart?" Her next words made his blood run cold.

"Daddy's hurt!! He got acid on his arm, he and Brady are still in the lab!"

Jack immediately sprang into action, shifting Eliza into a fireman's carry while he climbed over the fence. "Rissy, run up to the big house and find Meema, have her call the hospital and let them know they're gonna have a chemical burn victim coming in shortly. Take Eliza with you, can you carry her all that way?" Arista nodded, well-practiced in carrying her baby sister. "Good, you two stay there until I send Brady to you, then you three are gonna follow me with Meema to the hospital."

"Are you gonna drive Daddy there yourself?" She questioned.

Jack nodded. "Yes, I'll drive him up there so he can get treated. Now, go on, baby girl, I'll see you in a few minutes!" With that Jack took off at a run for the lab he'd built for his husband, while Arista took hold of Eliza and started running for the big house.

* * *

The shower was just reaching it's 20 minute cycle end when Jack came bursting through the door. "Mac?! Baby, where-"

"We're over here, Jack, at the chemical wash station," Mac called, letting Brady go when he wriggled free to run for his other father. "Watch out over there! There's still acid and glass on the ground that we need to clean up!"

Jack nodded even as he let out an oomph sound when the boy collided with him, hugging Brady tightly. "Got it, do you want me to clean it up before we go or after?"

Mac thought about it for a moment. "Better do it now, I should be fine with a gauze wrap once this finishes up until we get to the hospital."

Jack nodded again, and let Brady go gently. "Hey, I need you to go up to the big house for me, alright? Stay up there with Meema for a bit while we finish up here, then you guys are all gonna follow us to the hospital. And don't worry, Daddy's gonna be just fine; it takes more than a little acid to bring him down."

"Ok, Papa," Brady replied softly, moving around his father and out the door with only a quick backward glance. Jack immediately set about cleaning up the mess of acid and glass, making sure it was removed thoroughly before making his way over to his husband.

"Hey, darlin'. How you feelin'?" He asked as he gently wrapped Mac's arm in gauze, placing a kiss at the blonde's temple.

"Could be better, but the pain is relatively light." He turned in Jack's embrace to briefly snuggle closer, placing a kiss of his own on the man's cheek. "Come on, let's get going; the sooner I get checked out the sooner I can get back home."

* * *

A couple hours later found Jack watching over his kids in a waiting area just outside Mac's room, waiting for the verdict from the doctor who had taken care of Mac. Brady and Eliza were happy to put together a puzzle on the coffee table, while Eliza toddled around looking at everything with awe and wonder, chattering on about her surroundings. Elizabeth had left her son and grandkids to find a restroom and some snacks for the kids.

The elder kids were just finishing up their puzzle when the doctor finally appeared. "Mr. Dalton-Macgyver?"

"That's me," Jack said, standing up to greet the doctor. They spent the next few minutes discussing Mac's injuries, how they'd been flushed further and rebandaged. Arista and Brady listened, not understanding some of the more technical terms but getting the gist of the conversation.

Meanwhile, Eliza paid attention to the new person in the room for a moment but quickly grew bored, going back to exploring. She happened to glance up through the doorway a minute later just to see the curtain across the hall pulled back, and a familiar head of blonde hair revealed as a nurse left the room.

"Dada!" She whispered, and with a glance back to make sure her Papa was still occupied by the doctor, she toddled on across the hall and behind the curtain to Mac's room. Once she was in, she giggled and ran up to the bed, calling for her father. "Dada!"

No answer.

Confused, she called again. "Dada? Daddy??"

Still no answer.

The two year old pouted, resolving to get up to Daddy's level so he could hear her better. She looked around and spotted a small chair near the bed. A lightbulb went off in her head, so she toddled on over to it and started climbing.

Moments later, she was eye level with Mac. She decided that words weren't enough to wake her sleeping Dada, so she patted her hands on his face while she spoke. "Dada!!"

Mac woke with a start, having been allowed to nap while his bandages were being applied. He sat up groggily, wincing when he accidentally applied pressure to his arm. He turned to see what had woken him, only to find his two year old daughter giggling happily from the chair next to his bed.

"Eli? What are you doing here, love?" He asked, thoroughly confused.

"Dada! Dada hurt, Eli kiss it better!"

Mac tilted his head, a wry smile alighting on his lips. "You came to kiss it better, huh? Well then, get on up here, I could use some cuddles too."

Eliza laughed happily and clambered up onto the bed, curling up into Mac's shoulder and giving him a big kiss on the cheek. "Eli make it better, Daddy."

Mac grinned at his daughter, nuzzling her nose with his own. "Yes you are, Ellie-May." Together they settled into a cuddled embrace, Eliza quickly falling asleep after her long day. Mac laid awake, however, content to listen to her breathing and the bustle of the hospital outside.

The peace was interrupted a moment later when a panicked cry of "Eliza?!?! Baby girl, where are you?!?!?!" Was heard outside the curtain. Mac looked down suspiciously at his youngest, who slept on obliviously, before turning his head and lifting an arm to call for the nurse's station.

"Yes, Mr. Macgyver-Dalton?"

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but could you send my husband and children to my room? They're the ones desperately searching for a toddler, if that wasn't clear."

The nurse was confused. "I see them and I'll send them in, but shouldn't they be searching for your child?"

"Let's just say she's not so much missing as she is an escapee."

"Ohhhhhhh," the nurse said, finally understanding. She chuckled lightly. "I'll send them in, then."

"Thank you so much."

A few moments later, Jack barged into the room, a wild look in his eyes; the other kids weren't far behind him.

"Mac! I-" he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Mac's bed mate, who woke up suddenly at the intrusion and blinked sleepily up at her Papa. "...how the hell did she get in here." It wasn't even a question, just a statement of defeat.

"Rule number one of baby Macgyvers, babe: never,  _ ever _ let the baby out of your sight."


End file.
